W.H. chef snubbed in food fight

BOSTON — Michelle Obama’s food policy czar, celebrity chef Sam Kass, was once so in with the lunch lady crowd that he landed a guest judge spot on a tearful school lunch episode of Food Network’s “Chopped” and handed out awards at the School Nutrition Association’s convention in Denver.

Two years later, when he asked to speak at the group’s annual convention this week in Boston, the answer: “No.”

Story Continued Below

The rebuke shows how ugly the fight has become between the first lady and her supporters, who want kids to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in their school lunches, and the organization that represents cafeteria workers and their allies who argue that the federal government is going too far in its push for healthier meals.

At stake is the health of millions of kids, an $11 billion school lunch program dominated by big food companies that want to build brand loyalty early and even the legacy of the first lady — who has made combating the childhood obesity epidemic her primary cause.

So while the specifics might look like a food fight, behind the clash are all the big forces that shape major political battles — money, lobbying muscle, big personalities — and an ideological split over the size and role of the federal government, especially when it comes to kids.

“Our members are very frustrated,” said Patricia Montague, SNA’s CEO.

“Everybody is feeling a little bit stretched and stressed by what they’re facing,” she said, citing an onslaught of policy memos and regulations.

Montague acknowledged that Kass, through the Department of Agriculture, asked to speak at SNA’s conference this week “to rally the troops” on the nutrition standards. This year, roughly 6,500 school nutrition professionals are attending the conference, which runs through Wednesday in Boston.

“We didn’t feel [our members] wanted to hear the rallying call,” she said. “We felt it was best he not come.”

The first lady’s office declined to comment on Kass’ request to speak.

That’s a big difference from Kass’ appearance at SNA’s 2012 convention, in Denver, where he presented chef coats to the cafeteria professionals who appeared with him on an emotional episode of “Chopped” a few months earlier.

“It’s not often that school nutrition employees receive positive affirmation for the work they do on behalf of the nation’s children — much less be recognized for it on national television!” read SNA’s plug of Kass’ appearance at the gathering.

But a lot has changed since 2012, when major school meal reforms started kicking in. Schools have since started having to serve whole-grain-rich versions of pizza; kids now have to take a fruit or vegetable with their meals; and trans fat is no longer allowed. Ninety percent of schools are meeting the already phased-in standards, which come with more federal funding, and districts across the country have transformed their menus to include more scratch cooking.

However, not everyone is cheering the changes, a few of which went into effect on July 1 in time for the next school year.

When SNA asked Congress for some regulatory relief, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), included a measure in the House agriculture appropriations bill to give schools a break from the requirements next school year if they show a net loss for six months. The waiver rider sparked a civil war within the nutrition community and infuriated the Obama administration, which openly questions why SNA is seeking to roll back key elements of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, a bipartisan law the group originally backed.

Nineteen former SNA presidents wrote a letter of dissent and several expressed worry that the food industry was unduly influencing the association’s position, for which it was aggressively lobbying on Capitol Hill — moves that led the White House to believe that most school nutrition leaders are on its team and agree with the changes. SNA has ardently denied that the food industry, the source of more than half the association’s operating budget, is fueling its push for regulatory relief, pointing to larger concerns about kids dropping out of the program because they don’t like the food.